Ludan: Part One-The Haunting:Chapter 4

The Ascension Chamber took up the entire third floor of the Zalpheranial. It sat atop the private quarters and offices of the building's leaders like a crown atop kings.

Osiris had designed it this way, for it was the crowning jewel of his made-up myth.

The room was in the shape of a hexagon with six walls holding up a domed glass ceiling- a mirror image of the one-story foyer that jutted out from the main complex like a great beast's tail, but on a larger scale. Each wall was painted a deep red, like blood, and contained an image from the story of Zalpher. Osiris smiled as he took in the artwork. Even after 250 years, he was amazed at the story he had created and spread throughout Ludan. The room was nearly empty, its bright red floor vacant except for the large green altar which sat at the center. It was adorned with a ceremonial knife and the Osiris-created Scripts of Ascension.

The altar faced south towards Zalpher's Ascension, a painting depicting the rise of Zalpher from the Underworld after his defeat of Valer, the dark King and keeper of the dead. The sun was nearly up. When it reached its position in the northern sky it would illuminate the painting on the wall, highlighting the most important belief of the Zalphera.

Osiris thought back to the times of the Civil War and the way he pulled the strings of King Jasimer II. The King was young and foolish, unable to defeat the Southern Forces. Osiris came to him then, though his appearance was much different, and promised to annihilate the south if Jasimer would simply establish Zalphera as the national religion and give him a spot on the Noble Committee. Jasimer jumped at the proposal and sealed the fate of the Southern Forces, as well as the old Gods of Ludan.

It only took the slaughter of a small southern camp to give Osiris the power to devastate the Southern Forces in minutes and elevate him to the rank of most powerful man in Ludan.

Sunlight penetrated the candlelit room as it broke through the dark clouds and spread across the floor and walls like fire over a pile of dry wood. Zalpher's Ascension lit up- ablaze in the sun's extending fiery embrace. Sunrise's arrival brought a knock at the large door. Osiris opened it and was greeted by Lockwa and four boys.

" Goodmornin' Sir. Here are the boys. They've been prepped for their Ascension." There was a smile on his face. It was clear that the father viewed this day as great- a fruition of the years he had put into the boys, raising them and teaching them.

" So they've been washed in the sacred bath? Good good. I'll take it from here, Father. Say your goodbyes. These boys will soon be free of their sin and released into the world," Osiris paused, taking in the somber faces of each 18 year-old, " Hopefully never to return."

Lockwa hugged each boy tightly and shut the door, leaving the room in total silence. Osiris looked each boy up and down and stopped suddenly when his eyes fell on the last one. He was the shortest of the four, maybe five inches tall, and had short black hair framing his dark tan complexion. His brown eyes penetrated Osiris and made him noticeably shudder, sending his mind back to his childhood.

Before the red crystal, Osiris had lived in Wends, a rich mining city in Northern Ludan. He was born and raised there by his working-class parents until the crystal came to him at the age of 22. His life was ordinary. He had friends, he worshiped the old Gods, and he had never tasted blood.

When he was 14, he met a boy named Radey who had recently moved to Wends with his parents hoping to gain employment in the diamond mines. Radey was 14, with short black hair and brown eyes, which struck Osiris deeply the first time he had seen them. Osiris had been picking berries in the small forest behind his house when the boy sneaked up on him. " Can I pick some?" he asked. Osiris jumped slightly and spun around, facing the boy and his brown eyes. He was a small thing, maybe 4 or 5 inches shorter than Osiris, but his voice was strong and assertive. The words were barely phrased as a question, but rather an order in disguise.

From that moment, the two boys were inseparable. There wasn't very many kids in the town and the two boys enjoyed each other's company, using each other to fill the holes left in their lives as their parents worked all day to survive.

When they were both 19, Osiris walked the short 3 minutes to Radey's house (as he usually did when he woke up) and met the boy in his room. Sitting on Radey's bed, Osiris just stared at him for a few moments. " Ummm, what the fuck's up?" Radey broke the silence and let a smile creep across his face.

" I... I love you." There was silence as Osiris stared into those brown eyes, searching for any sign of emotion or thought.

Radey did not speak with words, but with a kiss.

Osiris got lost in the lust as Radey's tongue penetrated his mouth and lightly licked the insides. It was sloppy and sweet and Osiris could feel the love lowering onto him and into his soul.

The boys grew closer than ever over the next three years as their lives intertwined and became one.

On the night that they were supposed to lose their virginity to each other, a man came to Osiris's door claiming to be his true father. It was a weird exchange consisting of a story and a crystal that the man had left in Osiris's possession before turning and leaving just as quickly as he came. Shock shook Osiris as he instinctively put the crystal and its chain around his neck and set out, in a daze, to Radey.

Osiris was shaking and wet when Radey opened his door and pulled the boy in, out of the rain. " What's wrong?" he asked as he held the boy, trying to warm him with his body heat.

" Just fuck me. That's all I need. Just love me." Osiris pulled his shirt off as he pushed the boy into the bedroom. They kissed as Osiris pulled his pants and underwear down, his 9 inch penis pointing directly at Radey's erection sheathed in his own pants. Osiris pressed up against the boy and kissed him deeply, unfastening his pants as he massaged the man's wet insides.

There had been a scream and scorched skin.

Osiris looked at each boy standing in front of him. " If I can never feel love physically, then none of you ever will." The words were sharp like the dagger swooping through the air and slicing the neck of the short brown-eyed boy. The others turned and tried to flee, but Osiris was on them quicker than they could react to the horror that they saw. With four more quick slices, five bodies laid on the floor, their blood quickly flowing onto the ground.

He drank with a hunger, cramming as much of the life source as he could into his stomach.

There was the warmth in his gut as he focused his consciousness on the bodies and remaining blood at his feet. With a simple thought, the bodies were gone and the room was pristine. He pictured Talerdeen and hoped that he had fed enough to allow his body to fully transport. There was a flash behind his eyes as he felt the red crystal burn into his skin. Upon opening them, he could see the port city nearly 500 feet in front of him. ' The father should have the boy by now,' he thought to himself as he smiled and made his way into the city.

Thanks for reading, everyone. I love all comments, questions, criticism, or whatever. These can be sent to me, here.